This invention relates generally to drawer slide assemblies for guiding and supporting a drawer within a cabinet or other form of framed enclosure, and more particularly to under mounted drawer slide assemblies.
Historically, many drawer slide assemblies have been side mounted systems, which are mounted in the gap between the drawer sidewall and casement. Side mounted systems entail securing a drawer slide onto each side of the drawer, with each drawer slide mating with a cabinet slide or channel secured within the cabinet. The cabinet channel then cooperates with the drawer slide to guide and support the drawer as it is inserted into and withdrawn from the cabinet. Although such a system is functionally acceptable, it requires a very narrow roller to support the drawer due to the very confined lateral space between the drawer and the opening in the cabinet. Furthermore, when the drawer is withdrawn, the slides are visible from the side and this visibility detracts from the appearance of the cabinet or furniture.
An alternative system that improves the appearance of the arrangement by concealment of the slide system is the under-mounted monorail drawer slide. This system includes a single component that is attached to the middle underside of the drawer and extends longitudinally beneath the drawer. The cabinet then has a single corresponding component that cooperates with the drawer component to guide and support the drawer. Although such an under-mount approach provides a system that is virtually invisible when the drawer is open, in the past such systems have generally not been robust systems and could not withstand the weight or side loads that can be handled by a side mounted system. Furthermore, due to vertical space constraints, an under-mounted monorail system does not have a roller in a track but rather entails smaller bearings within a plastic casing or simply a guide that slides along the track with no roller or bearings. This results in a drawer that does not slide in and out of the cabinet in a smooth, effortless, quiet, and therefore desirable manner.
In an effort to further improve upon the monorail system, double track under-mounted systems have more recently been developed. These systems also solve the problem of unsightly visible components when the drawer is open, and have further been developed to provide smooth movement of the drawer. However, in order to manufacture and assemble such devices, additional steps in both the manufacturing and assembly processes are required. Due to the minimal space available underneath the drawer, these slide and channel systems require that the slide component be installed laterally adjacent the channel component. This has resulted in more complex drawer slides that require additional flanges and extensions to laterally interface with the corresponding cabinet channels and vice versa. Because of this approach, not only are the components more complex and thus more expensive to manufacture, but the end result of attempting to match up the components next to each other is a drawer system that has excessive play and thus rattles more than a conventional side mount system.
The bottom surface of most drawers are actually recessed a predetermined height, typically between 0.375 and 0.5 inches, above the lower edge of the side panels of the drawer. In order to provide enough clearance for the components, without creating a large and therefore noticeable gap between the bottom of the drawer and the cabinet frame, the drawer slides are typically installed along the recessed bottom surface of the drawer. To make such a design functional, an opening in the back wall of each drawer must be created through which the cabinet channel extends through to the back of the cabinet where it is supported. Otherwise the slide and channel would have to be mounted to be positioned beneath the underside edge of the drawer walls, thereby requiring even more space between the bottom of the drawer and the cabinet opening. The additional step of creating notches in the drawer is both burdensome and costly to the furniture or cabinet manufacturer.
An additional concern for both of the discussed under-mounted systems is that they may result in excessive waste of drawers and slides due to the increased likelihood of installing a slide on the wrong side of the drawer. The drawer slides are not reversible, having both a right hand slide and a left hand slide and corresponding channels. Typically, assembled base drawers are supplied with two side panels, a front panel, a rear panel and a bottom panel, but do not include the actual finished face of the drawer. Therefore, they are generally reversible, and either end could be the front or back of the finished drawer, depending on whether a left or right handed slide is attached first. However, once the notches are created in the back underside of the drawer, it is no longer a reversible drawer. Therefore, the appropriate slide must be attached to the correct side of the drawer or the drawer and the incorrectly installed drawer slide are generally scrapped.